A wise sage who lived in the first century AD – or CE, depending on one’s druthers – drew up a short list (9) of what he termed “fruits of the Spirit.” Here follows brief comparisons of each one to its opposite. (Note: a tenth item has been added at the author’s discretion.)
Love – the opposite is hate or indifference . . . the latter is ambivalence to the former.
Joy – the opposite is sorrow . . . most often one can choose.
Peace – the opposite is discord or injustice; there is no peace without justice.
Patience – the opposite is anxiety or agitation . . . again, most often one can choose.
Kindness – the opposite is cruelty . . . the difference is easily discerned.
Generosity – the opposite is selfishness; the latter undergirded by greed, small or large.
Faithfulness – the opposite is untrustworthiness . . . which destroys relationships.
Gentleness – the opposite is brutality, which can be done in word or deed.
Self-control – the opposite is indiscipline . . . which is often destructive to self and others.
Compassion – the opposite is cold-heartedness, which results in a cold, heartless world.
Let your mind wander of what kind of world we’d have on our hands if people – like, everyone - strove to embody the ten fruits listed above. Watch the evening news for graphic reminders of what kind of world we have on our hands because people operate embracing the opposite of the fruits of the Spirit. The ten fruits are life-giving. Their opposites are death-dealing. There are good fruits which nourish, and there are bad fruits which poison.
Another sage who lived during the 13th century BC (or BCE) put it this way: “Choose life so that you and your descendants may live.” Striving with everything we’ve got to embody the life-giving fruits works toward the kind of world almost everyone wants it to be.
Choose life!
